2022 Stock Risers: Twin Cities West
Welcome to the 6th and final installment of our series on 2022 stock risers, players who have put in the work to get better and earned notice for their efforts. Today we offer a final four members of the group,…
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Continue ReadingWelcome to the 6th and final installment of our series on 2022 stock risers, players who have put in the work to get better and earned notice for their efforts. Today we offer a final four members of the group, bringing the total number of players in this series to 29 and the total number of sophomores evaluated on video this spring to nearly 50. All four are familiar names we have written about multiple times before. All four are scholarship-level prospects ranked between 41st and 60th in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2022 prospect rankings. All four are players on the rise.
Ava Stier Ava Stier 5'10" | PF Waconia | 2022 State MN – Waconia, Stars 2022 Bjorgaard (#41)
When Ava gets up a steam on her way to the basket she is almost impossible to stop. Hard contact? No big deal. She’s more likely to dish it out than worry about absorbing it. Stier is strong, and the 5’11 forward knows how to leverage her strength to bump defenders out of the way. She simply won’t take no for an answer. Ava is tough. She’s physical. And she’s got touch. Stier is a quality shooter from distance and her mid-range game is much-improved. Really, the most important asset Ava has is her motor. She just doesn’t quit and she is afraid of precisely nothing. That’s what we liked about her from the first time we saw her and that’s what we like about her today. She is a strong rebounder, nice passer and a team-oriented performer. Ava has worked hard to develop her skills over the past couple of years and it shows. Most of the time, though, she simply dominates through sheer will. What college coach doesn’t want one more athlete like that on the roster? Stier carries a 3.8 GPA.
Kaila Youngs Kaila Youngs 6'0" | SF Orono | 2022 State MN – Orono, Crossfire 2022 Bluestar (#48)
Length is such an important asset in the game of basketball, and Kaila has plenty of it. At 6 feet tall with very long arms, Youngs knows how to take advantage of that length at both ends of the floor. For example, she had 249 rebounds this season and 86 blocked shots. That’s a ton for a lean 6-footer. She can also score, averaging 10 points per game. She is a very good three-point shooter, gets to the rim and finishes with nice touch. She’s also got a very nice mid-range game and has no difficulty creating space for herself to get the open look. She is fluid and athletic and is a terrific passer. (Watch for the long outlets on the video.) Kaila doesn’t have a big body but she is stronger than she looks. 2019 was her breakout year as Youngs combined with Rockford’s Ava Cusciotta Ava Cusciotta 5'9" | SF Rockford | 2022 State MN to form a potent one-two punch in AAU ball. That partnership will continue this season, albeit in different uniforms as the pair will lead the new Crossfire 2022 Bluestar squad along with Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN , who is profiled below. Youngs has a 3.8 GPA and is a nice candidate for a scholarship-level program.
Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN – Waconia, Crossfire 2022 Bluestar (#59)
Audrey comes equipped with all of the things you can’t teach. At 5’11 she has sufficient height. With a big frame she is very strong. And then there is the natural athleticism, which is elite level. Just watch how she elevates on the way to the rim. It’s impressive. The more time that goes by, and the more Audrey puts basketball at the top of her list of athletic pursuits, the more she is adding the things that can be taught. Swanson was primarily a softball player until the summer of 2019 when she was finally convinced to play AAU basketball. What a great choice that was as she immediately revealed a tremendous amount of potential. This winter at Waconia she improved even more, matching Stier for the team lead in scoring at 11 points per game on a deep squad with a balanced attack. She earned All-Conference honors and was class AAA Honorable Mention All-State. Audrey can score in multiple ways, has sufficient range, is an aggressive rebounder and is opportunistic. Don’t be surprised if Swanson takes big steps forward in 2020. She’ll play with Youngs at Crossfire.
Averi Dunbar Averi Dunbar 5'6" | PG Spring Lake Park | 2022 State MN – Spring Lake Park, Stars 2022 Bjorgaard (#60)
Averi’s game is all about the subtleties. You’ll have to look far and wide to find a player with a better feel for what’s happening on the floor. She’s super-intelligent, has a great sense of timing, wonderful court vision and is an excellent distributor of the basketball. Dunbar is all about what’s best for the group. She can score in bunches but that never seems to be the priority. If you watch the video you’ll see just how effective Averi is at employing a quick change of speed followed by a big burst that enables her to blow by more sizeable defenders. The only thing Averi lacks is size, but the 5’6 guard she is way more athletic than she looks and has really quick feet. With nice touch around the basket, outstanding range well beyond the three-point line, and the ability to consistently out-think her opponent, Dunbar offers a formidable package. This summer will be her first at age level in AAU for the past several years and it will be most interesting to see what she does with Stars 2022 Bjorgaard.